Selective order states durable queuing apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

A synchronization server for fulfilling orders under non-persistent network conditions includes a terminal update element, a queue processor, and a service area map. The terminal update element receives changes corresponding to one or more orders from one or more POS terminals. The queue processor queues the changes in terminal queues that correspond to the terminals, where the state changes are accessed by the terminal update element and transmitted to a first one of a subset of the terminals, from oldest to youngest, when the first one of the subset of the terminals is operably connected to the network, and where the state changes are maintained in terminal queues corresponding to other ones of the subset while the other ones of the subset remain operably disconnected from the network. The service area map is coupled to the queue processor and associates each of the terminals to one or more service areas, where the subset corresponds to one of the one or more service areas.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to the following co-pending U.S. patentapplications, each of which has a common assignee and common inventors.

SERIAL FILING NUMBER DATE TITLE SYNCHRONIZATION MECHANISM FORINTERMITTENTLY-CONNECTED (TST.0103)      POINT-OF-SALE TERMINALSPOINT-OF-SALE TERMINAL FOR RECONCILING ORDER STATES UNDER NON-PERSISTENT(TST.0104)      CONNECTION CONDITIONS ORDER STATES DURABLE QUEUING(TST.0105)      APPARATUS AND METHOD SELECTIVE SYSTEM FOR RECONCILINGORDER STATES UNDER NON-PERSISTENT (TST.0106)      CONNECTION CONDITIONSSELECTIVE POINT-OF-SALE TERMINAL FOR RECONCILING ORDER STATE UNDERNON-PERSISTENT (TST.0107)      CONNECTION CONDITIONS SYNCHRONIZATIONSYSTEM FOR INTERMITTENLY-CONNECTED POINT-OF- SALE TERMINALS EMPLOYINGBROWSER (TST.0109)      BASED ORDERING SYNCHRONIZATION SYSTEM FORINTERMITTENLY-CONNECTED POINT-OF- SALE TERMINALS EMPLOYING BROWSER(TST.0110)      BASED ORDERING

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

This invention relates in general to the field of point-of-sale (POS)systems, and more particularly to a synchronization mechanism forintermittently-connected POS terminals.

Description of the Related Art

It is rare these days to walk into a retail store or restaurant that hasa manually operated cash register along with manual (i.e., pencil andpaper) order entry. Rather, it is more common to find one or moreelectronic point-of-sale (POS) terminals through which a patron mayorder goods and/or services. And the POS terminals do not merely recordorders, but rather account for available inventory, modify itemsavailable for order based upon recent orders, and optionally provide forpayment for the orders. In many scenarios, most notably restaurants,though wait staff may employ manual techniques to enter and modifyorders, such orders are entered by the wait staff themselves intoelectronic POS terminals at selected positions within the restaurants.

In the case where a server is on-premise within the store or restaurant,present-day technology provides for hardwired connection of multiple POSterminals to the server, typically over a local area network. Though theon-premise server may be coupled to the internet for ancillaryfunctions, such as for processing credit card payments, orderfulfillment and synchronization of order stats between POS terminals isgenerally coordinated by the on-premise server. If the local areanetwork goes down, then staff is forced to resort to fully manual orderentry and fulfillment. And since the POS terminals are hardwired to thelocal area network, they must reside in fixed locations and are notportable.

Another type of POS terminal may be configured as a mobile device, suchas a smartphone or tablet, that is equipped with a card or chip reader(typically plugged into an audio jack). The mobile device may run anapplication program that provides for order entry and fulfillment, andwhich further may synchronize with a server in the cloud for purposes oforder payment processing and inventory management. Food trucks, mobilekiosks, and pop-ups generally use these mobile devices for order entry,fulfillment, and payment.

Though useful, the present inventor has noted that these mobile devicesare not scalable. That is, present-day technology only allows for onemobile device per order, which is the reason for long lines around foodtrucks at noon. While portable, these devices cannot be employed toefficiently service an order for a large group. In the case of arestaurant, the same device must be carried from patron to patron withina given ordering party. In the case of a party of 50, the wait to takeand fulfill the party's order. In addition, though these mobile POSdevices provide for recovery of state in the presence of intermittentwireless connectivity (as is common in Wi-Fi and cellular networks),they are still limited order throughput because two or more mobile POSdevices may not share a single order.

Accordingly, what is needed is an apparatus and method for synchronizingmultiple POS terminals, wired and wireless, under intermittent networkconditions.

What is also needed is a POS terminal that reconciles multiple orderstates under non-persistent connection conditions with an associatedserver in the cloud.

What is further needed is a server in the cloud for synchronizing orderstates between a plurality of wired and wireless POS terminals.

What is moreover needed is a server in the cloud for synchronizingmultiple POS terminals, wired and wireless, under intermittent networkconditions, where certain ones of the POS terminals are synchronizedwith order states within one or more geofenced service areas.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention, among other applications, is directed to solvingthe above-noted problems and addresses other problems, disadvantages,and limitations of the prior art. In one aspect, a synchronizationserver for fulfilling orders under non-persistent network conditions isprovided. The synchronization server includes a terminal update element,a queue processor, and a service area map. The terminal update elementis configured to receive state changes corresponding to one or moreorders from one or more of a plurality of POS terminals. The queueprocessor is coupled to the terminal update element and is configured toqueue the state changes in a plurality of durable terminal queues thatcorrespond to the plurality of POS terminals, where the state changesare accessed by the terminal update element and are transmitted to afirst one of a subset of the of plurality of POS terminals, from oldestto youngest, when the first one of the subset of the plurality of POSterminals is operably connected to the network, and where the statechanges are maintained in durable terminal queues corresponding to otherones of the subset of the plurality of POS terminals while the otherones of the subset of the plurality of POS terminals remain operablydisconnected from the network. The service area map is coupled to thequeue processor and is configured to associate each of the plurality ofPOS terminals to one or more service areas, where the subset of theplurality of POS terminals corresponds to one of the one or more serviceareas.

Another aspect of the present invention contemplates a synchronizationserver for fulfilling orders under non-persistent network conditions.The synchronization server has a terminal update element, a queueprocessor, a service area map, and a terminal status element. Theterminal update element is configured to receive state changescorresponding to one or more orders from one or more of a plurality ofPOS terminals. The queue processor is coupled to the terminal updateelement and is configured to queue the state changes in a plurality ofdurable terminal queues that correspond to the plurality of POSterminals, where the state changes are accessed by the terminal updateelement and are transmitted to a first one of a subset of the ofplurality of POS terminals, from oldest to youngest, when the first oneof the subset of the plurality of POS terminals is operably connected tothe network, and where the state changes are maintained in durableterminal queues corresponding to other ones of the subset of theplurality of POS terminals while the other ones of the subset of theplurality of POS terminals remain operably disconnected from thenetwork. The service area map is coupled to the queue processor and isconfigured to associate each of the plurality of POS terminals to one ormore service areas, where the subset of the plurality of POS terminalscorresponds to one of the one or more service areas. The terminal statuselement is configured to periodically transmit a first message over thenetwork to each of the plurality of POS terminals and updatecorresponding connectivity states based upon whether they acknowledgethe first message or not.

A further aspect of the present invention envisages a method forfulfilling orders under non-persistent network conditions. The methodincludes, within a synchronization server: receiving state changescorresponding to one or more orders from one or more of a plurality ofPOS terminals; queuing the state changes in a plurality of durableterminal queues that correspond to the plurality of POS terminals;accessing and transmitting the state changes to a first one of a subsetof the of plurality of POS terminals, from oldest to youngest, when thefirst one of the subset of the plurality of POS terminals is operablyconnected to the network; maintaining the state changes in durableterminal queues corresponding to other ones of the subset of theplurality of POS terminals while the other ones of the subset of theplurality of POS terminals remain operably disconnected from thenetwork; and associating each of the plurality of POS terminals to oneor more service areas, where the subset of the plurality of POSterminals corresponds to one of the one or more service areas.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other objects, features, and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with regard to the followingdescription, and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a present-day method forfulfilling product orders to one or more patrons;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram depicting a synchronization system forintermittently-connected point-of-sale (POS) terminals according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram featuring a synchronization server accordingto the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing durable POS terminal according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary update/status messagesaccording to the present invention that flow between a synchronizationserver and a durable POS terminal;

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram detailing a POS terminal queuing methodaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a synchronization server queuingmethod according to the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram depicting a selective synchronization serveraccording to the present invention that employs received signal strengthindication (RSSI) in the selection of POS terminals for update accordingto geofenced service areas;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram featuring a selective synchronization serveraccording to the present invention that employs ping latencies in theselection of POS terminals for update according to geofenced serviceareas;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a selective synchronization serveraccording to the present invention that employs Global PositioningSystem (GPS) coordinates in the selection of POS terminals for updateaccording to geofenced service areas; and

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a multiple domainsynchronization system according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Exemplary and illustrative embodiments of the invention are describedbelow. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actualimplementation are described in this specification, for those skilled inthe art will appreciate that in the development of any such actualembodiment, numerous implementation specific decisions are made toachieve specific goals, such as compliance with system-related andbusiness-related constraints, which vary from one implementation toanother. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that such a developmenteffort might be complex and time-consuming, but would nevertheless be aroutine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having thebenefit of this disclosure. Various modifications to the preferredembodiment will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generalprinciples defined herein may be applied to other embodiments.Therefore, the present invention is not intended to be limited to theparticular embodiments shown and described herein, but is to be accordedthe widest scope consistent with the principles and novel featuresherein disclosed.

The present invention will now be described with reference to theattached figures. Various structures, systems, and devices areschematically depicted in the drawings for purposes of explanation onlyand so as to not obscure the present invention with details that arewell known to those skilled in the art. Nevertheless, the attacheddrawings are included to describe and explain illustrative examples ofthe present invention. The words and phrases used herein should beunderstood and interpreted to have a meaning consistent with theunderstanding of those words and phrases by those skilled in therelevant art. No special definition of a term or phrase (i.e., adefinition that is different from the ordinary and customary meaning asunderstood by those skilled in the art) is intended to be implied byconsistent usage of the term or phrase herein. To the extent that a termor phrase is intended to have a special meaning (i.e., a meaning otherthan that understood by skilled artisans) such a special definition willbe expressly set forth in the specification in a definitional mannerthat directly and unequivocally provides the special definition for theterm or phrase.

In view of the above background discussion on present-day POS systemsand associated techniques employed therein for dealing with intermittentwired or wireless connections, a discussion of the disadvantages andlimitation of those POS will now be presented with reference to FIG. 1.Following this, a discussion of the present invention is presented withreference to FIGS. 2-11. The present invention provides superiormechanisms and techniques whereby multiple intermittently-connected POSterminals may be employed to efficiently process portions of one or moreorders in a manner that effectively serves ordering patrons, and thatmoreover improves the performance of the POS terminals themselves.

Turning to FIG. 1, a block diagram is presented illustrating apresent-day method for fulfilling product orders for one or morepatrons. The method is indicative of how the one or more patrons mayinteract with retail staff within a retail establishment for the purposeof ordering, modifying, fulfilling, paying for, and closing out an orderfor goods and/or services.

Flow begins at block 102, where one or more patrons enter into theretail establishment desirous of purchasing goods and/or services. Theretail establishment may comprise, but is not limited to, a restaurantat a fixed location, a mobile restaurant (e.g., food truck), a retailstore (e.g., big box store), a hotel lobby having product kiosks, asports stadium having product stands, an entertainment venue (e.g.,movie theater, concert hall), a cruise ship, an airliner, or any otherscenario within which one or more patrons may select, pay for, and enjoygoods and/or services. Flow then proceeds to block 104.

At block 104, the one or more patrons select their goods and/or servicesand an order is created at a POS terminal. The order may be created bythe patrons themselves (e.g., self-ordering on the POS terminal) or theorder may be initiated by a retail staff member. The order may haveidentifying information (e.g., an order number) attached thereto. Flowthen proceeds to decision block 106.

At decision block 106, an evaluation is made to determine if the orderis to be modified. For example, one of the one or more patrons may makea change to the order (e.g., “cut the pickles,” “the green lampshadeinstead of the blue lampshade,” etc.). If so, then flow proceeds toblock 108. If the order remains unchanged, then flow proceeds to block110.

At block 108, the order is modified on the POS terminal according to therequested change. Flow then proceeds to block 110.

At block 110, the POS terminal may transmit the order to an orderfulfillment area of the retail establishment. For example, in a big boxstore, this area may comprise a warehouse area in the back. In arestaurant, this area may comprise a kitchen. Other examples abound.Accordingly, retail staff members in the order fulfillment area beginpreparations to fulfill the order. Flow then proceeds to decision block112.

At decision block 112, an evaluation is made to determine if the orderis to be modified, yet again. As one skilled in the art will appreciate,patrons are finicky and inconsistent and, as the saying goes, “thecustomer is always right.” If the order remains unchanged, then theorder is fulfilled and flow proceeds to block 114. If the order is to bemodified, then flow proceeds to block 108.

At block 114, following fulfillment of the order, one or more paymentsources for the order are processed by the POS terminal. The paymentsources may include, but are not limited to, cash, check, gift cards,gift tokens, magnetic strip credit cards, Europay, MasterCard, and Visa(EMV) credit cards (i.e. chip-and-signature credit cards, chip-and-PINcredit cards), credit cards employing near-field communications (NFC),credit cards employing radio frequency identification (RFID), loyaltyaccounts, house accounts, and bitcoins and other types of digitalcurrencies. Flow then proceeds to decision block 114.

At decision block 116, an evaluation is made to determine if the orderis to be modified even once more. For example, even after initialpayment occurs in block 114, the one or more patrons may decide tomodify the paid-for order by ordering additional goods and/or services(e.g. “Can I get a coffee in a to go cup?”, “Oh, wrong credit card. Usethis one.”). Accordingly, if the order is to be modified, flow thenproceeds to block 108, where the state of the order is modified to allowfor consistency, regardless of whether additional fulfillment isrequired. If the order is not to be modified, flow proceeds to block118.

At block 118, the POS terminal may change the state of the order to“closed.” Flow then proceeds to block 120.

At block 120, the method completes whereby the one or more patrons mayexit the retail establishment, having purchased their goods/and orservices, or they may remain for purposes of placing a new order.

The method of FIG. 1 is a general and simple case of what may occur inany present-day retail establishment. Though orders may be taken bymanually in smaller establishments, more often than not the POS terminalis an electronic data entry and display device in one of twoconfigurations:

In a first configuration, the POS terminal is one of several electronicordering devices that are coupled to an on-premise server via ahardwired connection, generally a local area network (e.g., Ethernet).That is, an order, its modifications, and its state (e.g., open,fulfilled, paid, closed) are communicated between the POS terminal andthe on-premise server via the local area network in the retailestablishment. The server may also communicate with one or more orderfulfillment terminals in a back warehouse or kitchen area, which arealso part of the hardwired local area network. The retail establishmentmay provide for payment using a different financial system (generallyprovided for by banking institutions) or payment processing may be anintegral part of the POS terminals and on-premise server.

The present inventor has noted, however, that the above configuration islimiting in that patrons are required to wait to order, process payment,etc., until a POS terminal is available. Lines in grocery store or bigbox store are illustrative of problems with the on-premise, hardwiredPOS configuration. And when one or more legs of the local area networkfail for a period of time (i.e., an occasionally-connected network),retail establishment members much resort to manual methods of orderprocessing, or order processing may be halted altogether until thenetwork is restored. When restored, the individual POS terminalscoordinate their particular order statuses and states with theon-premise server. In the case of a restaurant, though multiple waitstaff may interact with the one or more patrons, the resulting order forthe one or more patrons is typically processed through a single POSterminal, along with orders from other patrons. In a restaurant, thoughlines of patrons aren't generally seen, the attendant delay is stillpresent waiting for food, payment processing, etc.

In another configuration, as in the case of a smaller or mobile retailestablishment, the POS terminal may be coupled via wireless connection,generally via Wi-Fi or cellular (e.g., 3G, 4G, LTE) connection to theInternet and may communicate with a server in the cloud for purposes ofinventory management and payment, an example of which are the ubiquitouscard readers and cloud services provided for by Square, Inc., that turnsmartphones and tablet computers into POS terminals. However, thepresent inventor has also observed that even though a wireless POSterminal maintains consistency of order and transaction data in thepresence of network interruptions (as is the case in most Wi-Fi andcellular network configurations), present-day wireless POSconfigurations are limited in that only one POS terminal may be employedto process a single order. Such is sufficient for a food truck or smallretail store where the one or more patron's portions of the order mustbe processed by only one POS terminal, but the present inventor notesthat this configuration is highly inefficient when employed to processan order for a larger group of patrons. Granted, the retailestablishment may have more than one wireless POS terminal, but, as oneskilled in the art will appreciate, a single order may only be processedby a single POS terminal. In other words, two orders may be processed bytwo wireless POS terminals, but a single order for a group of patronscannot be processed by more than one POS terminal, without breaking upthe order.

The present invention overcomes the above-noted disadvantages andlimitations, and other disadvantages and limitations of present-day POSsystems by providing apparatus and methods for synchronizing andprocessing orders in a cloud-based POS system having multiple wiredand/or wireless on-site POS terminals, without requiring an on-premiseserver. The present invention with now be discussed with reference toFIGS. 2-11.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a block diagram is presented depicting asynchronization system 200 for intermittently-connected point-of-sale(POS) terminals according to the present invention. The synchronizationsystem 200 may include one or more service areas 202, such as a frontservice area 202, service area 1-service area N 202, and service areakitchen 202. Going forward, the present inventor notes that though thepresent invention is applicable to any type of retail establishment asis described above, a restaurant establishment will be henceforthemployed in order to teach relevant aspects of the present invention.The present inventor further notes that though restaurant terms such ashost, wait staff, cook, kitchen, food item, etc. may be employed, suchterms are used to more clearly teach the present invention in a givencontext, however, broader and different retail establishment types arecontemplated.

The service areas 202 may comprise one or more wireless access points201. The service areas 202 may also comprise one or more wireless POSterminals 211, 221, 231, coupled to the access points 201 via wirelesslinks 203, and which are distinguished in the system 200 as a hostterminal 211, mobile terminals 221, and order processing terminals 231.The service areas 202 may further comprise a gateway 213 to which arecoupled one or more fixed hardwired terminals 212, and which providesfor coupling of the fixed terminals 212 and access points 201 aninternet cloud 260 via conventional wired links 205 such as, but notlimited to, Ethernet, cable, fiber optic, and digital subscriber line(DSL) As part of the network path to and through the cloud, providers ofinternet connectivity (e.g., ISPs) may employ wireless technologies fromtower to tower, etc., but for purposes of this application, such links205 will be referred to as conventional wired links 205 to distinguishthem from local and cellular wireless links. The wireless links 203 maycomprise, but are not limited to, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, near fieldcommunications, infrared links, IEEE 802.15.4, Zigbee radio links, andcellular based links (e.g., 3G, 4G, LTE) or a combination of the notedlinks. The POS terminals 211, 212, 221, 231 may be configureddifferently to comport with intended function (i.e., host seating, orderand payment entry, order fulfillment, etc.), or they may be configuredsimilarly. In one embodiment, the mobile terminals 221 may comprise atouch screen display and integral payment processor (e.g., card/chipreader) that provides for both order entry, display of order status, andpayment processing. As such, the host terminal 211, fixed terminals 212,and order processing terminals 231 may comprise larger touch screens toallow for easier viewing by restaurant staff, or they may comprisedisplays with keyboard entry. In one embodiment, terminals 211, 212, 231may comprise desktop computers, laptop computers, smartphones, ortablets that are running application programs or web-enabled applicationprograms that provide for communication with the synchronization server270 for purposes of order entry, status updates, and optionally, paymentprocessing.

The system 200 may further comprise a synchronization server 270 that iscoupled to the internet cloud 260, and an administrative console 271that is operably coupled to the synchronization server 270 via aconventional wired link 205 and/or a wireless link 203. Thesynchronization server 270 is not on-premise and is thus referred to asa cloud server 270. The administrative console 271 may be disposedwithin the restaurant premises and coupled to the synchronization server260 via the links 203, 205, or the console 271 may be disposed inanother location, say, at an operations headquarters for multiplerestaurants within a given region. In addition, the system 200 maycomprise one or more browser-based terminals 281 that are coupled to thesynchronization server 270 via links 205. In one embodiment, thebrowser-based terminals 281 may comprise desktop computers, laptop,computers, smartphones, or tablets that are running stand-aloneapplications or web-enabled applications that provide for communicationwith the synchronization server 270 for purposes of order entry, statusupdates, and optionally, payment processing.

The system may further comprise one or more third-party-based terminals241 that are coupled to the synchronization server 270 via theconventional links 205 though the cloud 260. The third party-basedterminals 241 may comprise desktop computers, laptop, computers,smartphones, or tablets that are running stand-alone third-partyapplications or web-enabled third-party applications that provide forcommunication with the synchronization server 270 for purposes of orderentry, status updates, and optionally, payment processing via aproprietary application programming interface (API) 242. An example ofsuch a terminal 241 may include the well-known GrubHub third-partyapplication that is configured to communicate with the synchronizationserver 270 via the API 241.

The system 200 may further comprise one or more delivery terminals 251that are coupled to one or more cellular access points 201 viaconventional cellular wireless links 203, and the cellular access points201 are coupled to the synchronization server 270 via the cloud 260. Inone embodiment, the delivery terminals 251 are identical to the mobileterminals 221, and are configured to provide services for order entry,order fulfillment (i.e., delivery), and payment processing. In anotherembodiment, the delivery terminals 251 are disposed as smartphone ortablets with a detachable payment processor (e.g., card/chip reader). Ina further embodiment, the delivery terminals 251 are disposed assmartphone or tablets with a payment processor integrated within asingle housing. Other embodiments are contemplated.

Service areas 202 corresponding to the mobile terminals 221 may have oneor more tables 204 corresponding to one or more orders. For clarity,service area 1 202 depicts two tables 204, one of which corresponds toorder 1 OD1, and the other of which corresponds to order 2 OD2. Themobile terminals 221 within service area 1 202 may processes portions ofboth order 1 OD1 and order 2 OD2.

Service area N 202 depicts two tables 204, both of which correspond toorder A ODA. The mobile terminals 221 within service area N 202 may bothprocess portions order A ODA.

Though disposed within separate service areas (service area 1202-service area N 202), the mobile terminals 221 therein may be furtherconfigured to process portions of any and all orders within therestaurant and may roam from service area 202 to service area to supportwork load of the restaurant.

The order processing terminals 231 may process all orders in therestaurant, or they may be configured to each process a portion of allof the orders in the restaurant according to preparation station orinventory station.

The host terminal 211 and fixed terminals 212 may be configured toprocess all orders in the restaurant to provide for on-premise seatingassignment, order initiation, order selection, and payment processing,including closeout of orders.

One or more restaurant staff members (not shown) within service area 1202-service area N 202 may have a personal device (e.g., smartphone,tablet, laptop) 206 that can provide an ad hoc network (i.e., hotspot)to which one or more of the mobile terminals 221 may tether for purposesof communicating with the synchronization server 270 in the absence ofWi-Fi connectivity to the access points 201.

In one embodiment, operations are initiated when the one or more patronsenter the restaurant. Generally, a host (not shown) will create an order(along with corresponding order identifier (OID) via the host terminal211 for the one or more patrons and will seat the patrons at one or moretables 204. The created order may include service area designation andassignment of the order to one or more mobile terminals 221. In anotherembodiment, mobile terminals 221 within a service area 202 are assignedto all orders within that service area 202. Other embodiments arecontemplated. The created order and service area assignment aretransmitted over the cloud 260 to the synchronization server 270, whichmaintains a durable terminal queues within which are stored orderupdates for all orders in the restaurant. Each of the plurality ofdurable queues correspond to each of the POS terminals 211, 212, 221,231, 251 within the system 200. When connection status to a giventerminal 211, 212, 221, 231, 251 is down (i.e., the server 270 cannotverify communication with the given terminal 211, 212, 221, 231, 251),then the server maintains the order updates for that terminal 211, 212,221, 231, 251 until connectivity is reestablished, at which time theserver 270 may transmit one or more of the order updates to theterminal, verifying with each transmission that the terminal 211, 212,221, 231, 251 received the update. Advantageously, each of the terminals211, 212, 221, 231, 251 is capable of processing portions of any of theorders in the restaurant.

Likewise, each of the terminals 211, 212, 221, 231, 251 maintainsdurable order queues within which are stored order updates only for eachof the orders being processed by the terminal 211, 212, 221, 231, 251.Each of the terminals 211, 212, 221, 231, 251 also maintains a pluralityof order states that depict a current state for each of the orders inthe restaurant. As a seated patron selects one or more menu items, waitstaff enters the menu items as an update in one of the terminals 211,212, 221, 231, 251, generally a mobile terminal 221 assigned to thegiven service area 202. The order update is entered into one of thedurable order queues that corresponds to the order ID. If connectivityif present, then the terminal 211, 212, 221, 231, 251 transmits theorder update to the server 270 and waits for the server 270 toacknowledge the order update. If acknowledged, the terminal 211, 212,221, 231, 251 removes the order update from the one of the durable orderqueues. If unacknowledged (i.e., in the case of non-persistent networkconnectivity), the terminal 211, 212, 221, 231, 251 maintains the orderupdate in the one of the durable order queues until such time asconnectivity is reestablished, and the terminal 211, 212, 221, 231, 251completes transmission of the order update with acknowledgement by theserver 270.

Upon reception of a particular update from the server 270, the terminals211, 212, 221, 231, 251 may check one of their plurality of order statesthat correspond to the particular update for conflicts, as will bedescribed in further detail below. If a conflict exists, the terminals211, 212, 221, 231, 251 may utilize domain specific rules to resolve theconflict in order to establish a valid order state. Each of theterminals 211, 212, 221, 231, 251 is configured with the same domainspecific rules to provide for consistent resolution of order states.

As patrons continue to order items corresponding to the order ID, theone or more of the terminals 211, 212, 221, 231, 251 may enter the orderupdates and transmit/durably queue the order updates to the server 270in accordance with connectivity conditions. The server 270 may alsoqueue/transmit order updates for all orders in the restaurant to each ofthe terminals 211, 212, 221, 231, 251 according each terminal'sconnectivity. Order fulfillment, payment, and closeout are likewisehandled as order updates through the server 270 and arequeued/transmitted to all of the terminals 211, 212, 221, 231, 251 inaccordance with the connection status of each terminal.

Patrons outside of the restaurant are also handled in similar fashionvia the browser-based terminals 281, and third-party terminals 241,though without feedback from the server 270 regarding all orders in therestaurant. When accessed through the browser-based terminals 281 andthird-party terminals 241, the server 270 creates and order ID andassigns it to one of the order processing terminals 231 for fulfillment,while sending status updates on the order ID to all of the terminals211, 212, 221, 231, 251 via the durable terminal queue therein. Theserver 270 may designate a specific delivery terminal 251 for pickup,delivery, and payment based upon geofenced proximity to the restaurant,or based upon workload corresponding to the delivery terminal. Proximityto the restaurant may be determined by a number of different mechanisms,as will be described in further detail below.

The administrative console 271 may maintain a master record of all orderstates and order updates according to all of the terminals 211, 212,221, 231, 251 in order to provide for restaurant management,maintenance, analytics, and network traffic analyses. The console 271may alternatively be disposed in an expediter's area of the restaurantfor use by expediters in assignment and allocation of patron seating andterminals 211, 212, 221, 231, 251.

The durable terminal queues and durable order queues may be disposed asbattery backed random-access memory, electrically-erasable programmableread-only memory, solid state memory, hard disk memory, or a combinationof the above that will provide for maintaining order updates within thequeues across network and power interruptions.

Advantageously, the present invention provides for more efficientperformance of computational resources within the server 270 and the POSterminals 211, 212, 221, 231, 251 over that which has heretofore beenprovided because multiple terminals 211, 212, 221, 231, 251 may beassigned to process portions of a single order, resulting in more timelyprocessing of the single order. Similarly, any of the terminals 211,212, 221, 231, 251 in the restaurant may be immediately reassigned to aparticular order to replace a malfunctioning terminal or to increasethroughput of the server 270. Accordingly, computational resources 211,212, 221, 231, 251, 270 within the system 200 are afforded an overallperformance improvement as a result of the present invention.

Turning now to FIG. 3, a block diagram is presented featuring asynchronization server 300 according to the present invention,substantially similar to the synchronization server 270 of FIG. 2. Thesynchronization server 300 may comprise communications circuitry COMMS302 (e.g., transceivers, modems, message formatter, etc.) that iscoupled to one or more wired or wireless communications links 301,examples of which are described above with reference to FIG. 2. Theserver 300 may also comprise a terminal status element 305, a terminalupdate element 306, and a payment processor 304, all of which arecoupled to COMMS 302 via a message bus MSG. The terminal status element305 is coupled to the terminal update element 306 via a status bus STS.The terminal update element 306 may comprise a service area map SA MAP307. The terminal update element 306 is coupled to the payment processor304 and to an order initiation element ORDER INIT 303 via a terminal busTBUS. The terminal update element 306 is also coupled to a queueprocessor 310 via a queue bus QBUS.

The queue processor 310 may include a durable terminal queue 311 thatincludes terminal update records 312, each of which are associated witha corresponding POS terminal (not shown) that is employed within a givenrestaurant. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, N terminal update records 312are shown, each associated with a corresponding one of N POS terminalsfor the given restaurant. In a large restaurant or big box environment,N may be roughly equal to 100 POS terminals, though larger and smallernumbers are contemplated.

Each of the terminal update records 312 may comprise update fields 313,which are employed to queue order updates for transmission to each ofthe corresponding POS terminals as connectivity to the corresponding POSterminals permits. Update fields 313 nearest to OUT are the oldest orderupdates queued for transmission to the corresponding POS terminals.Update fields 313 nearest to IN are youngest (or most recent) orderupdates queued for transmission to the corresponding POS terminals.Fields 313 between the oldest order updates and the youngest orderupdates descend in age from oldest to youngest update according to whenthose updates are received from others of the corresponding POSterminals.

Values of the order update fields 313 may include, but are not limitedto, an order ID along with order details taken by the others of thecorresponding POS terminals. Accordingly, the terminal update record 312for POS terminal 1 TERM1 depicts a plurality of order update fields 313to be transmitted to TERM1 when connectivity is reestablished withTERM1. In decreasing age from oldest to youngest order update, thefields 313 depict updates to order 64 U64, then order 6 U6, then order22 U22, and so on, culminating with an update to order 17 U17. As oneskilled in the art will appreciate, the terminal update record 312 forTERM1 is indicative that TERM1 has been offline (i.e., no connectivity)longer than any of the other POS terminals in the restaurant. Thislength of time may correspond to a mobile POS terminal that is serving aparty on a restaurant porch that has poor Wi-Fi connectivity, or maycorrespond to a delivery POS terminal that is traversing an area withpoor cellular coverage. The terminal update records 312 corresponding toTERM2, TERM 3, and TERMN depict a number of populated order updatefields 313 less than the number of fields for TERM1, which maycorrespond to mobile POS terminals within the restaurant that have onlyslightly intermittent Wi-Fi connectivity. And the terminal update recordfor TERM4 through TERM N−1 contain only empty order update fields 313,thus indicated that these POS terminals are up to date on all orderstate changes within the restaurant.

Operationally, the terminal status element 305 may periodically transmita first message to each of the POS terminals and update the connectivitystatus of the POS terminals based upon whether they acknowledge thefirst message or not. In one embodiment, the first message may comprisea ping message. In one embodiment, acknowledgment may comprise a simpleacknowledge message. In other embodiments, acknowledgement may compriseadditional data such as received signal strength indication RSSI, numberof hops, or Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates, as will bedescribed in further detail below.

The terminal status element 305 may provide connectivity status of eachof the POS terminals to the terminal update element 306 via bus STS. Theservice area map 307 is a table that associates each of the POSterminals to one or more service areas within the restaurant. In oneembodiment, the terminal update element 306 may generate order updatemessages from oldest to youngest update for each of the POS terminalsthat are connected. Connectivity is maintained when a POS terminalacknowledges receipt of an order update message. Once acknowledged, theterminal update element 306 directs the queue processor 310 to deletethe oldest order update for that POS terminal and shift pending orderupdates so that the next oldest order update becomes the oldest orderupdate. In one embodiment, order updates are transmitted to a given POSterminal until its terminal update record 312 is empty, or untilconnectivity is broken.

In one embodiment, all of the POS terminals associated with therestaurant are updated by the terminal update element 306. In analternative embodiment, POS terminals are selectively updated inaccordance with their mapping to the one or more service areas. Forexample, the delivery POS terminals may only require knowledge of ordersthat are to be delivered outside the restaurant, and thus they may bemapped to a “delivery” service area so that order updates thatcorrespond to the delivery service area are transmitted to the deliveryPOS terminals. Similarly, the restaurant or retail establishment may beso large that management dedicates certain POS terminals to designateservice areas. Accordingly, all of the POS terminals in a given servicearea may be employed to update any order placed within the given servicearea, but they may not be employed to update orders placed outside ofthe given service area.

Messages received from the communications circuit 302 may also requireadditional functions to be performed by the synchronization server 300.For example, when orders are placed by a browser-based or third-partybased terminal, the terminal update element 306 may transmit the orderupdate to the order initiation element 303 via TBUS. The orderinitiation element 303 may then create an order ID for the order updateand may assign the order ID to one or more of the POS terminals withinthe restaurant. Similarly, when an order update message received overthe COMMS 302 requires processing of transactions outside of the POSterminals' capabilities (e.g., financial transactions with credit cardproviders, loyalty card discounts, etc.), the payment processor 304 maygenerate messages to complete the transactions and the messages aretransmitted via COMMS 302. The payment processor 304 may furthergenerate order updates (e.g., “order paid,” “payment source 1 approved,”“discount amount,” etc.) to be transmitted to the POS terminals and mayprovide these updates to the terminal update element 306 via TBUS. Theterminal update element 306 may then provide those updates to thedurable queue 311 via QBUS, and the updates are transmitted to the POSterminals in due course dependent upon connection status, as isdescribed above.

The present inventor notes that the term “restaurant” is employed toinclude those fixed and mobile POS terminals within the restaurant alongwith corresponding delivery POS terminals associated with therestaurant, such as delivery POS terminals 251 depicted in FIG. 2. Thereare no terminal update records 312 corresponding to browser-based orthird-party-based terminals since orders placed on these devices arecreated and assigned to one of the POS terminals within the restaurantfor fulfillment, preferably order processing terminals, such as theorder processing terminals 231 in FIG. 2.

The synchronization server 300 according to the present invention isconfigured to perform the functions and operations as discussed above.The server 300 may comprise digital and/or analog logic, circuits,devices, or microcode (i.e., micro instructions or native instructions),or a combination of logic, circuits, devices, or microcode, orequivalent elements that are employed to execute the functions andoperations according to the present invention as noted. The elementsemployed to accomplish these operations and functions within the server300 may be shared with other circuits, microcode, etc., that areemployed to perform other functions and/or operations within the server300. According to the scope of the present application, microcode is aterm employed to refer to a plurality of micro instructions. A microinstruction (also referred to as a native instruction) is an instructionat the level that a unit executes. For example, micro instructions aredirectly executed by a reduced instruction set computer (RISC)microprocessor. For a complex instruction set computer (CISC)microprocessor such as an x86-compatible microprocessor, x86instructions are translated into associated micro instructions, and theassociated micro instructions are directly executed by a unit or unitswithin the CISC microprocessor.

Now referring to FIG. 4, a block diagram is presented showing a durablePOS terminal 400 according to the present invention, substantiallysimilar to the POS terminals 211, 212, 221, 231, 252 of FIG. 2. Thedurable POS terminal 400 may comprise a communications circuit COMMS 402(e.g., transceivers, modems, message formatter, etc.) that is coupled toone or more wired or wireless communications links 301, examples ofwhich are described above with reference to FIG. 2. The durable POSterminal 400 may also comprise a connection monitor 404, an orderprocessor 410, and a payment processor 406, all of which are coupled toCOMMS 302 via a message bus MSG. The durable POS terminal 400 may alsocomprise a link select element 405 that is coupled to the connectionmonitor via bus CS and to the COMMS 402 via bus LNK. The order processor410 is coupled to the connection monitor 404 via bus CBUS and to thepayment processor 406, an order initiation element 407, and a GPSreceiver 408 via bus SBUS. The order processor 410 is coupled to orderentry and display circuits 403 via bus DATA and to terminal ID logic 409via bus TID. The order processor 410 is also coupled to a stateprocessor 420 via a queue bus QBUS.

The state processor 420 may include a durable order update queue 421that includes order update records 422, each of which are associatedwith a corresponding order for the durable POS terminal 400. IndividualPOS terminals 400 are identified by their corresponding terminal ID,which may be stored within and accessed from the terminal ID element409.

Each of the order update records 422 may comprise order state fields423, which are employed to queue order state changes (i.e., orderupdates) for transmission to a synchronization server (not shown) asconnectivity to the synchronization server permits. State fields 423nearest to OUT are the oldest order state changes queued fortransmission to the synchronization server. State fields 423 nearest toIN are youngest (or most recent) order state changes queued fortransmission to the synchronization server. Fields 423 between theoldest state fields 423 and the youngest state fields 423 descend in agefrom oldest to youngest order state change according to when those statechanges are entered by POS terminal 400.

Values of the order state fields 423 may include, but are not limitedto, an order ID along with order details taken by the POS terminal 400.Accordingly, the order update record 422 for order 27 O27 depicts aplurality of order state fields 423 to be transmitted to the server whenconnectivity is reestablished. In decreasing age from oldest to youngestorder state change, the fields 423 depict order state changes S1 throughSN. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, the order update record422 O27 depicts that many more state changes have been entered whileconnection status of the POS terminal 400 is down than have been enteredfor orders 62 O62 through order 3 O3. Advantageously, the POS terminal400 according to the present invention may be employed for entry oforder updates even in the presence of network interruptions, which ischaracteristic of most Wi-Fi networks.

In operation, order state changes result from two sources: the orderentry/display circuit 403 and messages received over COMMS 402 from thesynchronization server. In the first case, wait staff in possession ofthe POS terminal 400 may enter order items as requested by patrons, orin the case of a self-service terminal 400, the patrons may enter theorder items themselves. The present invention contemplates provisionswithin the POS terminal 400 to display menu selections and paymentoptions to both wait staff and patrons. Order items received from theorder entry/display circuit 403 are provided to the order processor 410via bus DATA, which generates the state changes. State changes receivedfrom the server are provided to the order processor 410 in messages overbus MSG.

The connection monitor 404 may monitor reception of a first message(e.g., a ping message) from the synchronization server and directtransmission of an acknowledgement message. The connection monitor 404may update the connectivity status of the POS terminal 400 accordingly.In one embodiment, acknowledgment may comprise a simple acknowledgemessage. In other embodiments, acknowledgement may comprise additionaldata such as received signal strength indication RSSI associated withone or more access points, number of hops between the synchronizationserver and the POS terminal 400, or Global Positioning System (GPS)coordinates, as will be described in further detail below.

The link select element 405 may be employed to direct the COMMS tochange links 401 over which to communicate with the server, such asswitching from Wi-Fi to LTE, for example. In one embodiment, in theabsence of connectivity within the restaurant, the link select element405 may direct the COMMS 402 to tether to a cellular equipped devicecorresponding to an order ID, such as devices 206 in FIG. 2, in order totransmit acknowledgements and order state changes to the synchronizationserver.

The connection monitor 404 may provide connectivity status of the POSterminal 400 to the order processor 410 via bus CBUS. In one embodiment,the order processor 410 may generate order state change messages fromoldest to youngest update for each of the orders in the queue 421.Connectivity is maintained when the POS terminal 400 receivesacknowledgement of a previously transmitted order state change messagefrom the server. Once acknowledged, the order processor 410 directs thestate processor 420 to delete the oldest state change update for acorresponding order ID and shift pending updates so that the next oldeststate change update becomes the oldest order update. In one embodiment,state change updates are transmitted to the server until its order statechange record 422 is empty, or until connectivity goes down.

Messages received from the communications circuit 402 may also requireadditional functions to be performed by the POS terminal. For example,when orders are placed by a browser-based or third-party based terminal,the synchronization server may transmit the order state change to thePOS terminal 400 and the order processor 410 may direct the stateprocessor 420 to create a corresponding order status record 422 in thequeue 421. Similarly, when processing of transactions outside of the POSterminal's capabilities (e.g., financial transactions with credit cardproviders, loyalty card discounts, etc.) are required, order processor410 may direct the payment processor 406 to generate messages to theserver to provide data (e.g., amounts, payment source type, cardswipe/chip information, etc.) to complete the transactions. Suchmessages are transmitted via COMMS 302. The payment processor 304 mayfurther receive state changes (e.g., “order paid,” “payment source 1approved,” “discount amount,” etc.) to from the server and may providethese state changes to the order processor 410 via TBUS. The terminalupdate element 306 may then provide those updates to the durable queue311 via SBUS. The POS terminal 400 may further be employed to create anorder, as in the case of a delivery terminal, a fixed terminal, or ahost terminal. Accordingly, from order entry data received over DATA,the order processor 410 may direct the order initiation element tocreate an order ID and may also direct the state processor to create acorresponding order state record 422 in the queue 421.

The POS terminal 400 terminal according to the present invention isemployed to maintain a current state of all orders being fulfilled bythe restaurant. The current state of each of the orders are stored inorder current state fields 412 within the order processor 410. The orderprocessor 410 may also comprise domain specific rules 411, which defineactions required to synchronize conflicting order state changes beingreceived and/or processed by the POS terminal 400, where the domainspecific rules 411 are unique to all of the POS terminals 400 employedwithin the restaurant. For example, suppose that one POS terminal 400transmits a state change for a specific order to the server, which isacknowledged by the server. Concurrently, a second POS terminal 400sends a state change for the same order. The server may respond to thesecond POS terminal with a message indicating that the order currentstate field 412 for the order ID within the second POS terminal 400state is out of date (due to connection status) and providing the mostrecent current state of the order. The domain specific rules 411 areemployed by the order processor within the second POS terminal 400 tomerge the state changes local to the second POS terminal 400 and maystore the merged state in the corresponding current state field 412. Theorder processor may then direct the COMMS 402 to transmit thecorresponding (reconciled) state field 412 contents to thesynchronization server for distribution to all the POS terminals 400.

The key component of correct conflict resolution (i.e. merging of statechanges to generate a valid current order state is the domain specificrules 411. The rules capture dependencies between individual currentstate field values and validate state transitions. The domain specificrules 411 may include, but are not limited, rules corresponding topricing, tax, discount, refund, inventory calculations, and loyaltyaccrual logic. For example, consider the following sequence of events:

-   -   (1) An order with two items totaling $100 is entered via POS        terminal A 400. The order contains items, is initially unpaid,        and its status is “Open;”    -   (2) The order is paid out through POS terminal A 400. The        payment amount matches the total, and the order state is updated        to “Closed;” and    -   (3) However, an additional item priced at $20 is added to the        order ID through POS terminal B 400.        Because of the occasionally-connected nature of the system, the        changes (2) and (3) happen to be received concurrently by the        server.

A generic conflict resolution framework would merge the updates byadding the new item to the order, resulting in the following a closedorder having 3 items with a total of $100. This is undesirable becauseunder such a scheme the restaurant will lose money.

However, the order processor 410 according to the present invention mayemploy the domain specific rules 411 to detect that the total amountrequired for the order is greater than the payment amount, to determinethat the total needs to be recomputed, to change the state of the orderfrom closed back to open, and to recalculate the total. This new currentorder state is then transmitted to the server and stored in thecorresponding order current state field 412. Advantageously, the domainspecific rules 411 according to the present invention comprehend thattotal is dependent upon individual order items, and the status of closedor open is dependent upon the total. Thus, when the additional item isadded to the order under (3) above, the order processor 410 changes thestatus of the order back to open and recalculates the total.

Advantageously, the present invention provides for improvements inperformance of computational resources within the POS terminals 400 overthat which has heretofore been provided because the terminal 400 may beemployed to process orders in the absence of network connectivity. Inaddition, unnecessary communications with the server are precluded dueto on-board conflict resolution logic. Moreover, computing performanceis increased because the terminal 400 may be employed to process any ofthe other orders within the restaurant because the current states of allrestaurant orders are resident therein.

The POS terminal according to the present invention is configured toperform the functions and operations as discussed above. The terminal400 may comprise digital and/or analog logic, circuits, devices, ormicrocode (i.e., micro instructions or native instructions), or acombination of logic, circuits, devices, or microcode, or equivalentelements that are employed to execute the functions and operationsaccording to the present invention as noted. The elements employed toaccomplish these operations and functions within the terminal 400 may beshared with other circuits, microcode, etc., that are employed toperform other functions and/or operations within the terminal 400.According to the scope of the present application, microcode is a termemployed to refer to a plurality of micro instructions. A microinstruction (also referred to as a native instruction) is an instructionat the level that a unit executes. For example, micro instructions aredirectly executed by a reduced instruction set computer (RISC)microprocessor. For a complex instruction set computer (CISC)microprocessor such as an x86-compatible microprocessor, x86instructions are translated into associated micro instructions, and theassociated micro instructions are directly executed by a unit or unitswithin the CISC microprocessor.

Now turning to FIG. 5, a block diagram 500 is presented illustratingexemplary update/status messages according to the present invention thatflow between a synchronization server and a durable POS terminal.

An order assignment message 510 transmitted by the server to one or morePOS terminals may comprise fields 501 having a specific terminal IDTERMID assigned for a particular order ID ORDERID along with a tablenumber TABLENUM having a given number of seats NUMSEATS. The message 510may further comprise a SPECIAL field 501 via which special requirements(e.g., high chair, wheel chair access) are communicated to the POSterminal.

An order state change message 520 transmitted from a POS terminal to theserver may comprise TERMID and ORDERID fields 501 as described above,along with one or more groups of ITEM, MOD, and SEAT# fields 501, wherecontents of the ITEM field 501 indicated a menu item ordered for a givenseat number at the table along with any modifications to the item number(e.g., rare, no onions, etc.).

A payment state change message 530 transmitted from a POS terminal tothe server may comprise TERMID and ORDERID fields along with one or moregroups of PMTREQ, AMT, and TIP fields 501, where contents of the PMTREQfield 501 indicate a payment type (e.g., cash, MasterCard, etc.), andcontents of AMT and TIP indicate amount of payment for the particularpayment type along with a tip amount.

An order closeout message 540 may comprise TERMID and ORDER ID fields501 as noted above, along with a CLOSED field 501, the contents of whichindicate whether the particular order ID is open or closed.

A time clock message 550 exchanged between a POS terminal and the servermay comprise a TERMID field 501 as noted above along with a STAFFID,TIMEIN, and TIMEOUT fields 501, where the contents of TIMEIN and TIMEOUTindicate a duration of time for which a staff member identified bySTAFFID has employed a particular POS terminal. The server may employsuch messages 550 to calculate hours worked by the staff member.

An inventory message 560 may comprise a group of INVITEM and INVAMTfields 501, the contents of which indicate the amount of inventoryremaining for a given inventory item as a result of processing currentorders in the restaurant. Accordingly, the server may employ the notedamounts to expedite ordering of additional inventory items, or toinstruct the POS terminals to remove certain corresponding menu itemsfrom their menus that are displayed to wait staff or patrons.

The messages 510, 520, 530, 540, 550, 560 are not exhaustive of thosewhat may be employed according to the present disclosure but areprovided herein to teach further aspects and advantages according to thepresent invention.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a flow diagram 600 is presented detailing a POSterminal queuing method according to the present invention, such as maybe employed in a POS terminal as described above with reference to FIGS.2-5. Flow begins at block 602 where the POS terminal is assigned to astation or wait staff within the restaurant. Flow then proceeds to block604.

At block 604 the POS terminal accesses it terminal identifier TERMID andtransmits a message to the synchronization server that it is online.Flow then proceeds to decision block 606.

At decision block 606, an evaluation is made to determine if order statechange data has been entered on or received by the POS terminal. If so,then flow proceeds to block 608. If not, then flow proceeds to block612.

At block 608, the POS terminal employs domain specific rules therein toresolve conflicts and update a persistent order state fieldcorresponding to the entered/received data. Flow then proceeds to block610.

At block 610, any state changes resulting from the resolution along withthe updated state field are entered into the POS terminal's localdurable state change queue for transmission to the server. Flow thenproceeds to block 612.

At block 610, the oldest state change for the given order is transmittedto the server. Flow then proceeds to decision block 614.

At decision block 614, an evaluation is made to determine if anacknowledgement message has been received from the server. If not, thenflow proceeds to decision block 606. If so, then flow proceeds to block616.

At block 616, the oldest state change is deleted from the local durablestate change queue and all the younger state change for the order, ifpresent, are moved up in the queue. Flow then proceeds to decision block618.

At decision block 618, an evaluation is made to determine if the localdurable state change queue for the particular order is empty. If not,then flow proceeds to decision block 606. If so, then flow proceeds toblock 620.

At block 620, the method completes, whereby the POS terminal may accesslocal queue updates for other orders for which is it assigned.

Now turning to FIG. 7, a flow diagram 700 is presented illustrating asynchronization server queuing method according to the presentinvention, such as may be employed by the server described above withreference to FIGS. 2-5. Flow begins at block 702, where the serveraccesses its durable terminal update queue comprising terminal updaterecords corresponding to all POS terminals employed within a restaurant(or other retail establishment). Flow then proceeds to block 704.

At block 704, a terminal update record corresponding to a next terminalID is selected. Flow then proceeds to decision block 706.

At decision block 706, an evaluation is made to determine if a networkconnection exists between the server and a corresponding POS terminal.If so, then flow proceeds to block 708. If not, then flow proceeds toblock 704.

At block 708, the server transmits the oldest order update in theterminal update record to the corresponding POS terminal. Flow thenproceeds to decision block 710.

At decision block 710, an evaluation is made to determine if the serverhas received an acknowledgement message from the corresponding POSterminal. If so, then flow proceeds to block 712. If not, then flowproceeds to block 704.

At block 712, the oldest order update is deleted from the local durableterminal update record and all the younger order updates for the POSterminal, if present, are moved up in the queue. Flow then proceeds todecision block 714.

At decision block 714, an evaluation is made to determine if any orderupdates remain queued for the corresponding POS terminal. If so, thenflow proceeds to decision block 706. If not, then flow proceeds todecision block 716.

At decision block 716, an evaluation is made to determine if all of theterminal update records in the local durable terminal update queue areempty. If not, then flow proceeds to block 704. If so, then flowproceeds to block 718.

At block 718, then method completes.

Now referring to FIG. 8, a block diagram is presented depicting aselective synchronization server 800 according to the present inventionthat employs received signal strength indication (RSSI) in the selectionof POS terminals for update according to geofenced service areas. Theserver 800 is substantially similar to the server 300 described abovewith reference to FIG. 3. Configuration and operation of like numberedelements is identical to those of FIG. 3, wherein the hundreds digit ischanged from “3” to “8.”

Unlike the server of FIG. 3, the selective synchronization server 800additionally includes RSSI stores 820 that is coupled to the terminalstatus element 805 via bus R. The RSSI stores 820 includes RSSI records821 for each of the terminals employed within the restaurant. Each ofthe RSSI records 821 may comprise RSSI fields 822 that each areassociated with a corresponding access point located in the restaurant,where the access points include both Wi-Fi access points within therestaurant and cellular access points that are associate with deliveryterminals for the restaurant. Contents of each of the RSSI fields 822comprise an RSSI value for a particular access point as measure for aparticular terminal ID. Contents of the RSSI stores 820 are accessed bythe terminal status element 805 and are provided to the terminal updateelement 806 over bus STS.

As noted above with reference to FIG. 3, POS terminals may beselectively updated in accordance with their mapping to the one or moreservice areas, as indicated by the service area map 807. In theembodiment of FIG. 8, the service area map 807 defines geofenced serviceareas associated with the restaurant as a function of RSSI values foreach of the access points. For example, POS terminals having an RSSIvalue above a prescribed threshold for certain access points may bemapped within the service area map 807 to correspond with a given areaof the restaurant (e.g., banquet room A, warehouse, front desk, kitchen,etc.). Accordingly, the selective synchronization server 800 will onlyupdate those POS terminals within a given geofenced service area withupdates for orders that are associated with the given geofenced servicearea.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram featuring a selective synchronization serveraccording to the present invention that employs ping latencies in theselection of POS terminals for update according to geofenced serviceareas;

Turning now to FIG. 9, a block diagram is presented featuring aselective synchronization server 900 according to the present inventionthat employs ping latencies in the selection of POS terminals for updateaccording to geofenced service areas. The server 900 is substantiallysimilar to the server 300 described above with reference to FIG. 3.Configuration and operation of like numbered elements is identical tothose of FIG. 3, wherein the hundreds digit is changed from “3” to “9.”

Unlike the server of FIG. 3, the selective synchronization server 900additionally includes latency stores 920 that is coupled to the terminalstatus element 905 via bus R. The latency stores 920 includes a latencyfield 922 for each of the terminals employed within the restaurant.Contents of each of the latency fields 922 comprise a latency valueindicating a number of access point hops for transmission of a messagefrom the server 900 to a corresponding POS terminal. Contents of thelatency stores 920 are accessed by the terminal status element 905 andare provided to the terminal update element 906 over bus STS.

As noted above with reference to FIG. 3, POS terminals may beselectively updated in accordance with their mapping to the one or moreservice areas, as indicated by the service area map 907. In theembodiment of FIG. 9, the service area map 907 defines geofenced serviceareas associated with the restaurant as a function of the number of hopsrequired to transmit a message from the server 900 to a given POSterminal. For example, POS terminals having latency field values withinprescribed ranges may be mapped within the service area map 907 tocorrespond to given areas of the restaurant (e.g., banquet room A,warehouse, front desk, kitchen, etc.). Accordingly, the selectivesynchronization server 900 will only update those POS terminals within agiven geofenced service area with updates for orders that are associatedwith the given geofenced service area.

Now referring to FIG. 10, a block diagram is presented showing aselective synchronization server 1000 according to the present inventionthat employs Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates in theselection of POS terminals for update according to geofenced serviceareas. The server 1000 is substantially similar to the server 300described above with reference to FIG. 3. Configuration and operation oflike numbered elements is identical to those of FIG. 3, wherein thehundreds digit is changed from “3” to “10.”

Unlike the server of FIG. 3, the selective synchronization server 100additionally includes coordinate stores 1020 that is coupled to theterminal status element 1005 via bus R. The coordinate stores 1020includes a GPS coordinates field 1022 for each of the terminals employedwithin the restaurant. Contents of each of the GPS coordinates field1022 comprise GPS coordinates for a corresponding POS terminal. Contentsof the coordinate stores 1020 are accessed by the terminal statuselement 1005 and are provided to the terminal update element 1006 overbus STS.

As noted above with reference to FIG. 3, POS terminals may beselectively updated in accordance with their mapping to the one or moreservice areas, as indicated by the service area map 1007. In theembodiment of FIG. 10, the service area map 1007 defines geofencedservice areas associated with the restaurant as a function of GPScoordinates. For example, POS terminals having GPS coordinate fieldvalues within prescribed ranges may be mapped within the service areamap 907 to correspond to given areas of the restaurant (e.g., banquetroom A, warehouse, front desk, kitchen, etc.). Accordingly, theselective synchronization server 1000 will only update those POSterminals within a given geofenced service area with updates for ordersthat are associated with the given geofenced service area.

Finally turning to FIG. 11, a block diagram is presented illustrating amultiple domain synchronization system 1100 according to the presentinvention. The synchronization system 1100 may comprise a networkoperations center 1110 having a plurality of synchronization servers1111 as described above with reference to FIGS. 2-10. The servers 1111are coupled to the internet cloud as is described above. The system 1111may also comprise a plurality of retail locations 1131 that are alsocoupled to the cloud 1120. Subsets of the retail locations 1131 aredivided into domains 1130, where each of the domains 1130 comprise aunique set of domain specific rules as are described above. Each of theretail locations 1131 may be coupled to one or more of thesynchronization severs 1111 to allow for synchronization of orderupdates for POS terminals (not shown) disposed within the retaillocations. For example, POS terminals in retail locations 1 and 2 1131are within domain 1 1130 and may be served by synchronization server 11111. Synchronization server 1 1111 may utilize the same domain specificrules to synchronize updates between POS terminals in locations 1 and 21131, where the server 1111 may update all POS terminals within bothlocations, or selectively update terminals in location 1 1131 withorders corresponding to location 1 1131, and terminals in location 21131 with orders corresponding to location 2.

Accordingly, the present invention contemplates synchronizationmechanisms that enable business owners having multiple businesslocations (e.g., locally, statewide, nationwide, and worldwide) to beuniformly provided with order synchronization services via the one ormore synchronization servers 1111 assigned thereto. Additionally, thepresent invention envisages a plurality of servers 1111 disposed withina NOC 1110 that may be assigned to perform order synchronizationservices for numerous and differing retail establishments (e.g.,different restaurants, big box stores, concert halls, etc.)

Portions of the present invention and corresponding detailed descriptionare presented in terms of software, or algorithms and symbolicrepresentations of operations on data bits within a computer memory.These descriptions and representations are the ones by which those ofordinary skill in the art effectively convey the substance of their workto others of ordinary skill in the art. An algorithm, as the term isused here, and as it is used generally, is conceived to be aself-consistent sequence of steps leading to a desired result. The stepsare those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities.Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form ofoptical, electrical, or magnetic signals capable of being stored,transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It hasproven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, torefer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters,terms, numbers, or the like.

It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar termsare to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and aremerely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unlessspecifically stated otherwise, or as is apparent from the discussion,terms such as “processing” or “computing” or “calculating” or“determining” or “displaying” or the like, refer to the action andprocesses of a computer system, a microprocessor, a central processingunit, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates andtransforms data represented as physical, electronic quantities withinthe computer system's registers and memories into other data similarlyrepresented as physical quantities within the computer system memoriesor registers or other such information storage, transmission or displaydevices.

Note also that the software implemented aspects of the invention aretypically encoded on some form of program storage medium or implementedover some type of transmission medium. The program storage medium may beelectronic (e.g., read only memory, flash read only memory, electricallyprogrammable read only memory), random access memory magnetic (e.g., afloppy disk or a hard drive) or optical (e.g., a compact disk read onlymemory, or “CD ROM”), and may be read only or random access. Similarly,the transmission medium may be metal traces, twisted wire pairs, coaxialcable, optical fiber, or some other suitable transmission medium knownto the art. The storage medium may be non-transitory or transitory. Theinvention is not limited by these aspects of any given implementation.

The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, andthose skilled in the art will appreciate that they can readily use thedisclosed conception and specific embodiments as a basis for designingor modifying other structures for carrying out the same purposes of thepresent invention, and that various changes, substitutions andalterations can be made herein without departing from the scope of theinvention as set forth by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A synchronization server for fulfilling ordersunder non-persistent network conditions, comprising: a terminal updateelement, configured to receive state changes corresponding to one ormore orders from one or more of a plurality of POS terminals; a queueprocessor, coupled to said terminal update element, configured to queuesaid state changes in a plurality of durable terminal queues thatcorrespond to said plurality of POS terminals, wherein said statechanges are accessed by said terminal update element and are transmittedto a first one of a subset of said of plurality of POS terminals, fromoldest to youngest, when said first one of said subset of said pluralityof POS terminals is operably connected to said network, and wherein saidstate changes are maintained in durable terminal queues corresponding toother ones of said subset of said plurality of POS terminals while saidother ones of said subset of said plurality of POS terminals remainoperably disconnected from said network; and a service area map, coupledto said queue processor, configured to associate each of said pluralityof POS terminals to one or more service areas, wherein said subset ofsaid plurality of POS terminals corresponds to one of said one or moreservice areas.
 2. The synchronization server as recited in claim 1,wherein said network comprises the internet.
 3. The synchronizationserver as recited in claim 2, wherein the synchronization servercomprises a cloud-based server.
 4. The synchronization server as recitedin claim 3, wherein two or more of said plurality of POS terminals areconfigured to generate unique ones of said state changes correspondingto a same one of said one or more orders.
 5. The synchronization serveras recited in claim 4, wherein a first subset of said subset of saidplurality of POS terminals operably connect to said network via one ormore Wi-Fi access points that are disposed within a retail facility. 6.The synchronization server as recited in claim 5, wherein a secondsubset of said subset of said plurality of POS terminals operablyconnect to said network via a wired connection disposed within saidretail facility.
 7. The synchronization server as recited in claim 6,wherein a third subset of said subset of said plurality of POS terminalsoperably connect to said network via one or more cellular access points.8. A synchronization server for fulfilling orders under non-persistentnetwork conditions, comprising: a terminal update element, configured toreceive state changes corresponding to one or more orders from one ormore of a plurality of POS terminals; a queue processor, coupled to saidterminal update element, configured to queue said state changes in aplurality of durable terminal queues that correspond to said pluralityof POS terminals, wherein said state changes are accessed by saidterminal update element and are transmitted to a first one of a subsetof said of plurality of POS terminals, from oldest to youngest, whensaid first one of said subset of said plurality of POS terminals isoperably connected to said network, and wherein said state changes aremaintained in durable terminal queues corresponding to other ones ofsaid subset of said plurality of POS terminals while said other ones ofsaid subset of said plurality of POS terminals remain operablydisconnected from said network; a service area map, coupled to saidqueue processor, configured to associate each of said plurality of POSterminals to one or more service areas, wherein said subset of saidplurality of POS terminals corresponds to one of said one or moreservice areas; and a terminal status element, configured to periodicallytransmit a first message over said network to each of said plurality ofPOS terminals and update corresponding connectivity states based uponwhether they acknowledge said first message or not.
 9. Thesynchronization server as recited in claim 8, wherein said networkcomprises the internet.
 10. The synchronization server as recited inclaim 9, wherein the synchronization server comprises a cloud-basedserver.
 11. The synchronization server as recited in claim 10, whereintwo or more of said subset of said plurality of POS terminals areconfigured to generate unique ones of said state changes correspondingto a same one of said one or more orders.
 12. The synchronization serveras recited in claim 11, wherein a first subset of said subset of saidplurality of POS terminals operably connect to said network via one ormore Wi-Fi access points that are disposed within a retail facility. 13.The synchronization server as recited in claim 12, wherein a secondsubset of said subset of said plurality of POS terminals operablyconnect to said network via a wired connection disposed within saidretail facility.
 14. The synchronization server as recited in claim 13,wherein a third subset of said subset of said plurality of POS terminalsoperably connect to said network via one or more cellular access points.15. A method for fulfilling orders under non-persistent networkconditions, comprising: within a synchronization server: receiving statechanges corresponding to one or more orders from one or more of aplurality of POS terminals; queuing the state changes in a plurality ofdurable terminal queues that correspond to the plurality of POSterminals; accessing and transmitting the state changes to a first oneof a subset of the of plurality of POS terminals, from oldest toyoungest, when the first one of the subset of the plurality of POSterminals is operably connected to the network; maintaining the statechanges in durable terminal queues corresponding to other ones of thesubset of the plurality of POS terminals while the other ones of thesubset of the plurality of POS terminals remain operably disconnectedfrom the network; and associating each of the plurality of POS terminalsto one or more service areas, wherein the subset of the plurality of POSterminals corresponds to one of the one or more service areas.
 16. Themethod as recited in claim 15, wherein the network comprises theinternet.
 17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein thesynchronization server comprises a cloud-based server.
 18. The method asrecited in claim 17, wherein two or more of the subset of the pluralityof POS terminals are configured to generate unique ones of the statechanges corresponding to a same one of the one or more orders.
 19. Themethod as recited in claim 18, wherein a first subset of the subset ofthe plurality of POS terminals operably connect to the network via oneor more Wi-Fi access points that are disposed within a retail facility.20. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein a second subset of thesubset of the plurality of POS terminals operably connect to the networkvia one or more cellular access points.